


When We Were Young

by xxawalkinwonderlandxx



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: A little bit of Jake Griffin, Bellamy and Clarke were childhood friends, F/M, Minor Kane, They found their way back together, minor octavia, they always do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 07:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20042287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxawalkinwonderlandxx/pseuds/xxawalkinwonderlandxx
Summary: Bellamy and Clarke met when they were little kids and they had been inseparable. They did absolutely everything together until Clarke had to move. One night, Bellamy runs into Wells and, well, how could he not go to the opening night of Clarke's work being displayed in a gallery after not seeing her for seven years?Based off the cover of "When We Were Young" with Andy Black and Juliet Simms





	When We Were Young

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! If you're waiting for an update on my other two fics then I apologize for not being able to update them! I'm on vacation and may not be able to update them until next week, I’m sorry :(
> 
> But whether you’re waiting for an update or if you’re here because you came across this while looking for something to read, then I hope you all enjoy!

Bellamy had been six when he first met Clarke at the park. She was there with her dad and he was there with his mom, one of the few outings she kept up after she got pregnant with Octavia and it became harder for her to move around. Clarke had been playing in the sandbox and Bellamy went up and kicked over her mound of sand, which led to her getting angry and pushing him down. She had been smaller than him, but he smiled at how strong she was. Her father had seen her push him down and tried to get her to apologize but Bellamy had told him that he deserved it since he knocked down all of her hard work. To make it up to her, he told her he’d push her on the swings. Since that day, they had been inseparable.

When Bellamy’s mom had Octavia, Clarke’s parents offered to have Bellamy over for a sleepover every now and then and when Octavia got older, Bellamy’s mom offered to have Clarke over. The two of them did pretty much everything together. From starting second grade together, to playing in the mud, going to the fair, roller skating, everything. They ate lunch together during recess and if anyone ever picked on Clarke for how small she was, they always had to answer to Bellamy. Nobody hurt her and got away with it.

Looking back at everything now, if Bellamy had understood what love was back then, he would say that he had been in love with Clarke Griffin. Even as a kid, she was beautiful and he thought the sun rose when she smiled and he loved when he was the reason for it. When they started sixth grade, his mother started feeling bad so he spent more time at home instead of hanging out with Clarke, but that didn’t stop them eating lunch together or talking on the phone some nights.

Once, he had to miss a week of school since his mother had gotten _really_ sick, and when he came back Clarke introduced him to another boy, Wells, saying that he just transferred and that his dad was friends with her parents. Bellamy didn’t understand jealousy very much when he was eleven, but he had been straight up mean to Wells on more than one occasion. It wasn’t until Clarke cornered him at lunch and told him that if he didn’t stop acting like a brat then she’d quit being friends with him that he realized he had been hurting her too. She just wanted her two friends to be friends also.

Then, one night during the fall of their seventh grade year, Bellamy was sat down and told that his mother was dying. He had been angry and yelled at his mom, he scared Octavia by being so upset, and then he left. Without a destination in mind, he started running down the street. Even though he had never walked to Clarke’s house before by himself, since it was kind of far away, he remembered every turn. Which is how he ended up on the Griffin’s front doorstep at eight o’clock at night.

Jake Griffin had opened the door, his eyes widening as he saw that it was a distraught Bellamy, and he motioned him inside while calling for Clarke. When she came down the stairs, Bellamy hadn’t been so relieved to see her in his life than at that moment. One look at him and she practically vaulted down the stairs and ran towards him, crushing him into a hug. She held him as he cried that night and her parents said that he was more than welcome to spend the night since they had talked to his mom.

Clarke started staying with him more, helping him with Octavia and keeping the house cleaned since his mom wasn’t able to do much anymore, and Abby Griffin even stopped by whenever she could to see what she could do to help. During her funeral, Clarke kept hold of one of Bellamy’s hands while Octavia held the other one. She was a constant in his life, one that he never wanted to let go of.

The next time his life came crashing down around him was when Clarke showed up at his house crying right before their Christmas break in eighth grade, saying that her mother had gotten a job in one of the bigger cities and said that she was moving within a week. They hadn’t told her sooner because they knew she would’ve protested, this way they hadn’t left her any room to argue. They held onto each other that night and Kane had called her parents, saying that she was safe and was more than welcome to stay with them that night.

Neither of them could sleep, so they stayed up and talked the entire time. She told him that she didn’t want to move, that she wanted to stay there with him and Octavia and not leave. He wanted that too. So, he told her that the two of them could run away, he was sure that they would be able to make it together, but she cried more and told him that they were young; life wasn’t like any of the movies or stories they had watched together, and he had to be there for Octavia.

When it finally came to say goodbye to each other, Bellamy felt as if something had been ripped from him. He watched as Clarke hugged Octavia bye and told her to be good for Kane and Bellamy, and when the car started down the street, Bellamy’s legs carried him after it. Clarke turned around in the back seat to wave bye, and he could see her crying too. She was his best friend, and then she was gone.

* * *

Running into Wells Jaha had been a surprise to say the least. They hadn’t seen each other since the summer before ninth grade, before Wells’ dad sent him to a private school for high school. Bellamy had walked in for his shift at the bar when he noticed Wells sitting at one of the stools already. Once he got behind the bar, he made his way over to him.

“I could only imagine what your father would say if he saw you in a place like this.” Bellamy teased and Wells brought his attention up to him, smirking.

“Bellamy Blake, I see you’re still a dick.” Wells held his hand out and they shook.

“Never claimed to have changed.” Bellamy grinned. “What brings you here?”

“I’m in town for some of my dad’s charity events,” Wells groaned, “but I’m also here to see the opening of an art exhibit.”

“Really? An art exhibit? Since when do you go to those?” Bellamy distinctly remembers Wells never wanting to go to any art exhibit since all that happened was he walked around and looked at art while listening to the over-analyzed descriptions from the other gallery-goers.

“Since it’s Clarke’s.” Wells smirked and Bellamy could’ve sworn his heart stopped beating.

“Sh—what?”

“Clarke is having her work displayed at the art gallery in downtown tomorrow night, so I told her I’d stop by.”

Bellamy’s mind quit working. They had talked a little the few months following her move when they were younger, but eventually he moved too and they lost contact with one another. She still made her way into his thoughts from time to time, and there was still a dull ache when he thought about how she left, but he never thought that she would still be in Arkadia when college started. Though he had hoped she would be.

“I didn’t know you kept in touch with her.” Bellamy was surprised his voice was even and steady even though his hands were shaking.

“Yeah, my dad is still pretty good friends with her mom.”

“Just her mom?” Bellamy couldn’t help asking; he just really wanted to know what her life was like now. What _she_ was like.

“Yeah, uh,” Wells looked down at the glass in his hands, “her dad died junior year.” Bellamy’s hear sank. “It had been bad for about a year before then, he was getting worse, her grades slipped, and when he passed it nearly broke her.”

Bellamy keeps his eyes focused on the bar in front of him, the story of what happened to her was way too close to what had happened with him and his mom. _I should’ve been there for her, like how she had been there for me._ Bellamy’s heart ached for her.

“She’s doing better now, though, double majoring in pre-med and art, her grades are nothing short of perfect, but you know how she is.” Wells smiled then tipped his head back, finishing off his drink. _No. Not anymore_. When Wells set his glass back down his phone chimed and he fished it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes. “The dutiful son duties call, so I have to head out.” Wells pulled out some cash and placed it on the bar. “But you should definitely come tomorrow, I know she’d love to see you, here’s my number,” Wells took a pen out of his jacket and wrote on a napkin, “just text me and I’ll send you all the info.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Bellamy took the napkin and folded it up before putting it in his pocket.

“No problem. It was nice seeing you again and I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Wells started walking backwards towards the door.

“Yeah, definitely. See you tomorrow.”

With one last wave, Wells was gone. Bellamy went through his shift trying to focus on making drinks instead of the possibility of him seeing Clarke again. It had been nearly seven and a half years since he last saw her and about seven years since he last talked to her.

When Bellamy finished his shift and got back to the house he shared with Miller and Murphy, he contemplated whether or not he should text Wells. He wanted to see Clarke more than anything, wanted to talk to her, but he had no idea what she was like now. In his mind, she was still the headstrong, brilliant, and brave girl he once knew, but time has a way of changing people. Himself included.

In the end, he did text Wells and Wells responded almost immediately telling him that he wouldn’t tell Clarke since he figured Bellamy would want to surprise her. Honestly? Bellamy was wondering if he could even bring himself to even step into the building. _I can do it_.

* * *

Now it’s the night of the opening and Bellamy has been sticking to the edges of the crowd since he walked in. It didn’t take him long to spot Clarke, but he couldn’t bring himself to go up to her since there seemed to be so many people wanting her attention. So, Bellamy just grabbed a glass of cheap champagne and walked around the gallery, though he couldn’t help that his gaze kept drifting over to her.

Clarke looked beautiful and seeing her smile made it feel like the sun was rising. Her hair had gone a couple of shades darker than what it once had been, though it was still blonde, and she looked more beautiful than he remembered. Everyone she’s talked to seems to love her, if their smiles and laughs are anything to go by, and he remembers how good she was at talking to others. A lot better than he had been.

“Still haven’t surprised her yet?” Wells appears at Bellamy’s side and he turns to look at him.

“She’s surrounded, I figured I’d let her mingle without having to worry about talking to me.” Bellamy shrugs and then finishes off his glass of champagne.

“Uh-huh.” Wells takes a sip of his drink too and Bellamy cuts his eyes towards him.

“What?”

“I think you’re scared.” Wells smirks.

“Scared?” Bellamy echoes and cocks an eyebrow at him. “Apparently you don’t know me anymore, Jaha.”

“Then prove me wrong, Blake.” Wells grins then starts towards where his father is standing.

Bellamy brings his gaze back to Clarke and notices that the crowd that had been around her has thinned out. He grabs another glass of champagne from a passing tray and decides to make his way towards her. _It’s now or never_. She’s looking at a painting when he walks up and a quick glance at the plaque beside it tells him that it’s one of hers. It’s of a lake with a waterfall, and if he hadn’t known it was her painting, he would’ve thought it was a photograph. _If I were her, I’d admire my work too._

“Beautiful.” As soon as the word is out of his mouth, he doesn’t know if he meant it for the panting or for her.

She turns around and the smile she has on her face is enough to make his heart stutter. Her eyes are still ocean blue and they still make him feel like she can see into his soul. _Very beautiful_. Her grin widens.

“_Bellamy_.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Clarke.” He smiles at her and he’s rewarded with a slight blush on her cheeks.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She keeps smiling as she walks towards him and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug.

He’s stunned for a second before he hugs her back, one of his hands finds its way into her hair while the other wraps around his waist. He doesn’t know how long they hold onto each other, but he knows he doesn’t want to let her go. He tightens his hold on her and she does the same. _It’s been so long_. When they pull apart, she dabs at the corner of her eye but she continues grinning at him.

“Your painting is amazing.” He motions towards the art behind her and he can see her blush again.

“Thanks.” She ducks her head as she smiles but when she looks back up at him, it’s like she’s taken his breath away again. “It was a pain the ass and took me all year but I think it was worth it.”

“I would definitely say so, Princess.” He grins at her before turning to look at the painting again.

“God, I never knew I would miss that.” Clarke laughs but then clears her throat and turns to look down the hall. “Um, do you want to see more?”

“Lead the way.” Bellamy holds his hand out, motioning for her to walk and she grins before linking her arm with his.

Her hold on him is firm as they walk and she explains each of her pieces, it’s almost as if she expects him to disappear. They get stopped a couple of times as they walk, but for the most part no one bothers them. The gallery is starting to thin out as the time goes on and Bellamy starts to wonder if he’ll have to say goodbye to her. He really doesn’t want to.

“Good to see you two found each other.” Wells’ voice comes from behind them and they both turn to look at him.

“You knew he was going to be here?” Clarke looks at Wells then turns to look at Bellamy, her eyebrows raised.

“Wells may or may not have come into the bar I work in last night and told me that you were getting your art put on display.” Bellamy gives her a lopsided grin and she smiles before barreling into Wells.

“I can’t believe you kept this from me!” She pulls back and swats at him.

“Hey, we both figured you’d like to be surprised.”

“Yeah, I did.” Clarke’s smile widens as she turns to look back at Bellamy.

“I’m heading home,” Wells looks between the two of them, “I’m sure the two of you would like to catch up with each other so, Bellamy, would you mind giving her a ride?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Awesome.” Wells claps him on the back. “I’m glad you could make it tonight. And I’ll see you later, Clarke, your art is amazing.” Wells gives Clarke a kiss on the cheek and they say their goodbyes before he heads out the door.

A few more people come up to Clarke but the gallery workers seem like they’re preparing to close. Bellamy gives Clarke some space while she talks and decides to take some pictures of her paintings to send to Octavia. He knows that Octavia has missed Clarke too, so he thinks she’ll be excited. He sends them to her and she comes back with ‘_y are u sending me pics of art?’_ and he smiles just as Clarke reaches his side.

“What are you grinning about?” She asks as she looks around his shoulder at his phone. “You do know it’s considered bad etiquette to take pictures of another person’s work, don’t you?” Clarke arches an eyebrow at him and he can feel the tip of his ears heat up.

“Even if it’s for a girl who misses you?”

“Oh, Octavia!” Clarke looks at his phone again. “I didn’t see her name! Okay, if it’s for her then I’ll let it pass this time, Blake. Here,” she smiles then skips towards the last painting he hadn’t sent her, “take a picture with me next to it, I want to see her reaction.”

“Still bossy as ever I see.” Bellamy teases as he raises the phone and she rolls her eyes but she’s smirking. “Okay, one, two, say Picasso.” Clarke laughs as he takes the picture and when he pulls it up to look at it, he smiles.

“Lemme see!” Clarke skips back to his side and peers down at the picture. “Ooh, I love it! Here.”

Clarke takes his phone out of his hands and he looks down at her with an amused look on his face. _Definitely hasn’t changed._ He watches as she taps a few things on his phone and then hands it back just in time for someone to tell them that the gallery is closing. As Clarke leads him towards the front of the building he looks down at his phone and realizes that she had put her contact into his phone and sent the picture to herself.

After she’s grabbed her clutch and he’s grabbed his jacket, they make their way outside just in time to see Octavia trying to FaceTime him. He laughs then turns the phone in Clarke’s direction to show him and she giggles. He rolls his eyes before answering the call and he has no warning before Octavia’s scream blares through the phone’s tiny speakers.

“Oh my god! Clarke!” Octavia’s voice rings out from the phone and her grinning face stares at Bellamy and Clarke from the screen.

“Octavia! You’ve gotten so big!” Clarke smiles at his little sister and suddenly Bellamy is transported back to being a little kid with Clarke helping him watch Octavia. “The last time I saw you, you were missing you two front teeth and you had pigtails.” Clarke grins.

“The last time I saw you, you had braces.” Octavia arches an eyebrow and Clarke laughs. “But seriously! How did this happen?” Octavia motions between Bellamy and Clarke.

“She had her gallery opening tonight and I ran into an old friend who invited me.” Bellamy smiles at Clarke. “I surprised her.”

“Well thank god the two of you are together again, do you know how _miserable_ he’s been since you left?” Octavia groans and Bellamy can feel himself turn red.

“_Octavia_.” He growls and his sister gives him a sly grin while Clarke laughs.

“I’ve missed him too, O.” Clarke smiles.

“Wow, I haven’t had anyone, other than Bellamy, call me that in so long.” Octavia grins. “I’ve missed you, Clarke, will you come home with Bell when the two of you finish the semester?” Octavia’s eyes are wide as she looks at Clarke and Bellamy’s heart aches. When Clarke left it had been hard on her too.

“I’d love too, as long as Bellamy is okay with it.” Clarke looks at him and his heart flips.

“Of course.” He smiles down at her. “I’d love it.”

“Awesome!” Octavia laughs on the other end and then there’s a muffled voice and someone knocking on her door.

“Octavia, it’s late, I’ve already told you to go to bed.” Kane’s figure appears in the corner of the screen and Octavia jumps out of bed.

“But it’s Clarke! Look!” She shoves the phone in Kane’s face and he pushes it back a little before he can focus on the screen, then he smiles.

“Clarke! It’s been a while! Bellamy?” Kane’s eyebrows shoot up and Bellamy can’t help the goofy grin on his face.

“Bell showed up at her art show and surprised her! Can I please stay up for a little while longer and talk to her? Pleeeaasseeee?” Octavia uses her puppy dog eyes on Kane and Bellamy knows she’s going to get her way. They work on him too.

“Fine, only a few more minutes though.” Kane points at Octavia and she nods her head before he turns back to the screen. “Clarke, it’s wonderful to see you again, if you’re ever back in Trikru then know you still have an open invitation.” Kane gives her a warm smile and Clarke grins.

“Thanks, Kane, I appreciate it.”

“Well, I’ll let the three of you talk, but bed in ten, Octavia.” With one last wave, Kane is gone.

Bellamy and Clarke head towards his car while Octavia tries catching Clarke up on the last seven years of her life in ten minutes. Clarke listens and laughs and Bellamy is pretty sure he’s never heard a laugh as amazing as hers. When the ten minutes are over, Octavia tries staying up later but Bellamy tells her that she needs to go to sleep. There’s some grumbling and protests from Octavia but ultimately she says bye and goes to sleep but not before getting Clarke to promise that she’ll text her tomorrow.

“I’ve missed her.” Clarke admits as she slides into his passenger seat. “God, I can’t get over how big she’s gotten. Or how long it’s been.” She looks over at him with a sad smile. “It’s been way too long.”

“Yes it has.” Bellamy reaches across the console and takes her hand in his. “But we’re with each other now.”

She squeezes. “Yeah, we are.”

They look at each other for a second before he clears his throat and focuses on pulling out of his parking spot. “So, where to, Princess?”

“Um…” Clarke looks out the window for a second before turning back to him. “Are you hungry?”

Bellamy grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“There’s a twenty-four hour diner down the road, or there’s an ice cream shop that puts liquor in their shakes if you want that.” Clarke gives him a sly grin and he can’t help but return it.

“Ice cream and booze, good to know we’re still on the same wavelength.” Bellamy teases and Clarke laughs.

When they get to ordering their shakes, Bellamy is surprised to find that Clarke still remembers he prefers chocolate everything and he remembers how much she used to love cake batter and brownies. His face starts to hurt from how much he’s been smiling for the past hour, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Both of them decide to sit in his car while they drink their shakes and Bellamy can’t help but feel like he’s found something he’s been missing.

“So, Bellamy, what have you been up to in the past seven and a half years?” Clarke peers at him over the rim of her cup.

“Well, let’s see.” He sighs and leans his chair back. “Do you want details or the cliff-notes?”

“Details, of course.” Clarke grins.

“Of course,” Bellamy smirks. “So, after you left in eighth grade…”

Bellamy tells her about starting high school and how he mostly kept to himself, but he got into a lot of trouble. He told her about how he acted out and now feels bad for giving Kane such a hard time. As a result of getting in trouble, Kane decided he needed an outlet to blow off some steam so he signed him up for some kick boxing lessons which is where he met Murphy and Miller. He tells her about helping Octavia with her school work and having to walk her to class some days because of some boys picking on her. Clarke laughs when he tells her that, saying that it reminds her of when they were young.

He goes on to tell her about how he met Gina when he was a sophomore and she was a senior and they dated up until he was supposed to start college. She wanted him to go to the same college she was going to an hour and a half away, but he was adamant about going to Ark U. He didn’t tell Gina that the reason why he wanted to go so badly was because he was holding onto the hope of seeing Clarke again, because anytime he brought her up Gina accused him of harboring feelings for her. Though Bellamy doesn’t tell Clarke that.

She listens as he explains his decision to study history but she still snorts and tells him that he’s always been a history nerd so she would’ve been surprised and disappointed if he had chosen something else. He tells her that he’s saving up as much money as he can while he’s in school to make sure that Octavia will have her college paid for, even though he’s pretty sure she’s going to get a scholarship as long as she doesn’t start slacking off like he did. Really, it’s amazing he even got a scholarship to begin with.

In return, he listens to her talk. She tells him how the first year and a half after they moved had been the hardest. She fought her mother on everything and even though her dad had tried to make things as easy as possible, she was set on making their lives hell for forcing her to move. She tells him that eventually her dad signed her up for art classes to try and get her to start drawing again and she admits that if it hadn’t been for him then she’s pretty sure she wouldn’t have kept drawing.

Bellamy tells her that she was always a wonderful artist and that he would’ve been surprised and disappointed if she hadn’t kept up with it, and she laughs at him using her words on her. She tells him about meeting a guy named Finn senior year and how they dated into their first semester of college when she found out that he was also dating another girl named Raven. Bellamy couldn’t help the anger that stirred in his chest at the idea of someone treating her like that. _Didn’t that asshole realize how amazing she is?_

She even tells him that she met a girl named Lexa a few months later and had her first girlfriend. It was something Bellamy had wondered about when they were in middle school, but he never brought it up because he was sure she would’ve denied it because of her parents. He tells her as much and notices that she ducks her head as she blushes, telling him that he had been right. In the end, it’s like they had never been separated and Clarke suggests keeping their conversation going at her apartment, which he’s more than willing to do.

“Good to know you’re still a princess.” Bellamy teases as she pushes the door open and they walk in. Technically, it was an apartment but it looked almost like a small mansion. He lived in a three bedroom house and her single bed apartment was easily twice as big.

“Not what I would’ve chosen, believe me,” Clarke huffs as she throws her clutch onto the counter and starts tugging off her heels. Clarke sighs in relief then throws her shoes by the door. “Make yourself at home, I need to change real quick.”

Clarke disappears down the hall and Bellamy just stands there, looking around. He wanders to the living room and some pictures on the wall catch his attention. There’s pictures of Clarke with her dad as a kid, some from high school, there’s quite a few with her and Wells, then some more of her with a tanned brunette and it makes him wonder if that’s Raven.

“Bellamy!” Clarke’s voice carries down the hall and he jumps back from the pictures, feeling almost as if he was being too nosey.

“Yes?” Bellamy pokes his head around the corner of the hall and when she doesn’t answer, he makes his way towards her room.

Her door is open and she’s digging around in the closet for something. He smirks as he takes her room in. She’s never been the tidiest person and even though the rest of her apartment looks immaculate, he should’ve known her room would still look like a tornado had blown through it. She stands up with a triumphant ‘_aha_!’ and he quirks an eyebrow at her.

“Do you want to change too? I’m only guessing since you never liked button up shirts.” She gestures at the dark blue shirt he’s wearing and then throws a t-shirt at him.

“Yeah, thanks.” He gives her a grateful smile and it’s then that he really looks at her. She’s taken off her makeup and her hair is thrown up in a haphazard bun, she has pajama shorts on, and then his gaze stops at the shirt she’s wearing. It’s a very old, and very faded, _Ramones_ t-shirt that he thought he had lost when he was younger.

It had been his father’s t-shirt that his mom had given him when he was younger, though it was always way too big for him. On the nights when Clarke would stay the night she always opted to wear it because she said it was the softest. Then, when Kane had gotten a new house and they moved he realized he couldn’t find the shirt and he had come to conclusion that he had lost it, he never once thought that Clarke could’ve had it. Clarke looks at him for a second, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion before she looks down at her shirt and blushes.

“Oh, yeah, I kind of stole this when we were younger and I never had a chance to give it back. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s—” Bellamy clears his throat, “I thought I had lost it but I’m glad to see that it’s been in good hands.”

“Yeah, well, it’s still my favorite shirt to sleep in.” Her confession makes his heart leap and she must be embarrassed that she admitted that because she ducks her head. _She must’ve worn it a lot over the years_. “And it helped when we moved.” She whispers the last part and it makes his heart clench as he remembers that day. “Ummm…I’ll let you get changed. Here’s some sweat pants that Raven gave me but they’re way too long for me.” She makes her way towards the hall and hands him a pair of gray sweats before she closes the door behind her.

Bellamy smiles and shakes his head as he shrugs out of his button up before pulling on the university t-shirt she had given him and then pulling on the sweats. His curiosity gets the better of him as he takes a closer look around her room. There’s drawings everywhere, much like her room from when she was younger, and there’s pictures from photo booths, and polaroids, but what really gets his attention is the picture that’s framed on her dresser.

He walks up to it and bends down to get a better view of it. He would’ve recognized that picture from anywhere; it’s of him and Clarke during a school field trip to the zoo. They had to do the buddy system that day so Bellamy had grabbed Clarke’s hand and held onto it the entire time. Clarke’s dad had been a chaperone so when they stopped for lunch that day, Jake told Bellamy and Clarke to get together so he could take a picture of the two of them. Clarke had wrapped her arms around Bellamy’s shoulders and Bellamy had wrapped his around Clarke and they both gave their biggest toothless grins as her dad took the picture. It was one of the best days of his young life.

A lump forms in the back of his throat and he can feel tears prick the corners of his eyes. He kept the same picture in his wallet for the longest time until he lost his wallet during his freshman year of college after a night out and then he lost it. _Maybe she’ll let me get a copy of it._ When he straightens, he decides that he’s done snooping around her room so he picks up his clothes and makes his way back down the hall.

“Took you long enough!” Clarke pops up from behind the island in the kitchen and looks at him. “Pick your poison, we have whiskey or spiced rum.” She smiles as she holds up a fifth of Eagle Rare and a fifth of Captain Morgan.

“Are you trying to get me drunk, Clarke?” Bellamy smirks as he raises an eyebrow at her and she gives him a mischievous grin.

“We missed getting to have our first alcoholic drinks together, getting drunk with each other, going to our first party together, we have _a lot_ to catch up on, Blake.”

“Alright, point taken.” Bellamy sets his clothes down on one of the stools at the bar and then leans on the counter. “If we’re going to get plastered, I choose the whiskey.”

“Good choice.” Clarke smirks before pouring them both a glass. “To being reunited.” Clarke raises her glass and Bellamy does the same.

“And never being separated again.” Bellamy adds and Clarke’s smirk turns into a grin.

“And never being separated again.” They clink their glasses together and take a sip. “I can’t believe we’ve been in the same city, let alone the same _university_ for _years_ and we’re just now seeing each other.”

“I didn’t know if you had stayed Arkadia for college or not, I guess I was just kind of hoping.”

“Well, if _someone_ would at least activate their Facebook again then maybe you would’ve known.” Clarke arches and eyebrow at him and it makes him chuckle.

“You know I’ve always hated stuff like that,” Bellamy points out and Clarke rolls her eyes.

“You’re still such a grandpa!” Clarke throws a wadded up paper towel at him but it goes wide and misses him.

“And you’re still a terrible shot.” He smirks.

“If I remember correctly, you weren’t that good either,” Clarke counters and he barks out a laugh.

“But I was always better than you and that’s all that ever mattered.” It’s Clarke’s turn to laugh and she shakes her head before motioning him to follow her into the living room, but not before grabbing the fifth.

She folds herself onto the couch and pats the spot next to her. When he sits down, she’s already flipping through the T.V. channels and he can’t help but remember them as kids fighting over the remote. Whenever they went to his house after school, Bellamy’s mom would always have a snack ready for them and they would sprawl out in the living room while debating on whose turn it was to pick what they watched.

“So, how are we going to decide on what to watch?” Clarke glances at him and he can see the glint in her eye.

“Well, we could always fight it out how we used to,” Bellamy offers and Clarke grins.

“I don’t know, Blake, I’m stronger than what I used to be if you want to try and take the remote from me.”

“As fun as that sounds, I wouldn’t want you to hurt me,” Bellamy smiles, “we could do rock paper scissors, or, since it’s your place, you could pick and I’ll just have to endure whatever it is you decide to put on.”

“Hm…I think I’m liking the third option.” Clarke smiles then settles into couch, still flipping through the channels.

“Of course you are.” Bellamy shakes his head then settles into the couch too. He doesn’t think about it when he places his arm on the back of the couch, he had just wanted to get comfortable, but when Clarke leans in, he stiffens. Though, Clarke doesn’t seem to notice, so he lets himself relax.

In the end, Clarke decides to put on _Night at the Museum_ and Bellamy can’t help but smile. The two of them had loved that movie when they were younger, but they hardly pay attention to it now. Clarke starts talking about how she remembers when Bellamy wanted to Indiana Jones, which makes Bellamy blush. He comes back with how Clarke had wanted to go to France and be the next Monet or Morisot, and Clarke laughs and says she’s surprised he still remembers that. _God I still love her laugh_.

As the conversation carries on and the drinks keep coming, the two of them walk down memory lane together. From the day they met, to the mud fights they would have, and the time they tried making a rope swing into the pond behind his mom’s house. He thought it would hold, and he did a test swing to make sure that it would, but when Clarke went to swing on it, the rope snapped and she fell onto the rocks at the edge of the water. Bellamy had felt so bad but Clarke decided to sneak into the house so Bellamy’s mom wouldn’t see her all scratched up, but Aurora had seen her anyways and Clarke said that it had been her decision. Aurora had been calm about it but Bellamy refused to leave Clarke’s side and wouldn’t let her do anything while she was staying at his house because he wanted her to be careful.

“Come here, Bellamy.” Clarke tosses the rest of her drink back then picks her phone off the end table and scoots closer to him. “We need a picture together.”

“You couldn’t have gotten a picture before we got drunk?” Bellamy teases but Clarke swats at his shoulder before wrapping her arm around his shoulders and he wraps his around her waist.

“But I want to remember this moment forever.” Clarke looks down at him and he can’t help the way his heart stutters as he looks into her piercing blue eyes. He always loved the color of them, and now he’s pretty sure he could drown in them.

“Me too.” He smiles up at her and she returns it before pulling up the front camera and holding it out in front of them. He knew that his smile was a bit bigger than it would have been had he been sober, and that Clarke’s eyes were a bit brighter than usual. When Clarke pulls up the picture, he loves it.

“This is definitely going on my snapchat story.” Clarke smiles then pulls up the app. He watches as she puts the caption ‘_Reunited with my best friend’_ with a heart and then puts it on her story.

“While we’re on the topic of pictures, I saw the one on your dresser.” Clarke nods her head and glances at him. “I was wondering if I could have a copy of it?”

“Yeah, of course, I can go make a copy right now if you want.” Clarke moves to get up but he stops her, not wanting her to go anywhere.

“No, it’s okay,” he reassures her. “I used to have the same picture in my wallet but I lost my wallet one night and, well, I didn’t have another one.”

“You kept it?” Clarke’s voice is low and he looks at her.

“Of course I kept it, Clarke.” Without really registering that he’s doing it, his hand rubs against her side. “That was one of the best days we had together and—” Bellamy swallows, unsure if he wants to finish the sentence. He’s drunk, and there’s far too many emotions he’s feeling for him to not make a fool of himself.

“And?”

“And it was one of the only things I had left of you.” Bellamy can feel his face heating up. “You were always the one to hold onto the pictures because I worried I would ruin them, and when you left I didn’t have many. Then, when Kane bought another house, I lost the few that I did have except I had put that one in my wallet the day after you left.”

When he looks up at Clarke, he can see tears in her eyes but she smiles. “Wait here.” She sets her glass down on the table then disappears down the hall and he’s suddenly very aware of how much he misses her sitting next to him. She returns soon after with a small book in her hands, and it’s only when she takes her spot next to him again that he realizes it’s a photo album.

“What’s this?” Bellamy can’t take his eyes off the photo album and Clarke hands it to him.

“Open it.” Her voice is rough and he brings his eyes up to hers. They’re red from crying but she’s smiling.

When Bellamy turns his attention back to the book in his hands and opens it, his heart threatens to burst out of his chest. The first picture is of the two of them the day they first met; Bellamy was pushing her on the swing. Under the picture was the date and the caption ‘_Bellamy and I met when he so rudely knocked over my sand masterpiece and I pushed him over. When my father came over to chastise me, Bellamy said that he had started it. I’m not sure how, but he ended up pushing me on the swing, which led to my father taking this picture’._ Bellamy smiles and he feels tears start to form in his eyes too.

When he turns the page, it’s of the two of them at her house for her sixth birthday since she was a couple of months younger than him. They were both soaking wet and they were smiling at the camera with cake all over their faces. He remembers that day, and he remembers the cake fight, but he doesn’t remember why exactly it had started. However, looking at the caption, it’s clear that Clarke did. ‘_My sixth birthday party. Bellamy made the mistake of saying that I wouldn’t be able to become the first woman president, so I took a cupcake and smashed it into his face’._

“First woman president, huh?” Bellamy looks up at her and he can tell she’s trying not to bust out laughing.

“Back when my mother was adamant about me going into law or medicine at six.”

“Well, at least now you’re able to do art, too. You always had a knack for biology and stuff, something I never had.”

“Yeah, well, you were always better at writing than I was.”

“Excuse me, what was that?” Bellamy cups his hand around his ear and leans in closer. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

“Dick.” Clarks laughs then swats his shoulder. “Let’s get back to this.” Clarke motions towards the book then settles in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Bellamy grins as he turns back towards the book, trying to keep his racing heart under control at the fact she’s resting her head on him. The picture next to the birthday one, is from the first day of second grade. Bellamy’s mom and Clarke’s parents decided to meet up before school started that day so the two of them could walk in together. The two of them are standing in front of the school in their uniforms; Bellamy’s hair is an untamed mess despite the amount of times his mother always tried to brush his hair, and Clarke has a big pink bow in hers. ‘_The first day of second grade had been terrifying, but with my best friend next to me I knew I wouldn’t have anything to worry about’._

He flips through the book, picture after picture, caption after caption, and his heart feels like it’s getting fuller as he goes. Most of the pictures he remembers, but there’s others he had completely forgotten about. Like the picture of the two of them running around in the rain in their swim suits, and Clarke sitting on his mom’s couch with a baby Octavia in her arms. Them just talking about memory lane has nothing on actually seeing it in pictures in front of him. Eventually, the pictures come to an end and Bellamy can’t help the sting in his heart as he looks at the blank page. _So many years, not in here…so many years gone._

“This is where our picture from tonight is going.” Clarke points at the blank page.

“I can’t believe you took the time to make this.” Bellamy whispers as he flips back to the first page.

“I made it around the time my dad passed away,” Clarke reaches over and pours them each another glass. “I was devastated and, if I’m being honest, I kept wondering if I’d be able to find you if I got a ride back to Trikru.” Clarke doesn’t look at him as she hands him his glass. “When I realized I wouldn’t be able to do that, I did the best next thing: I looked at pictures and wrote about us.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Clarke.” Bellamy reaches out and takes her hand in his, rubbing circles on the back of it. “You were there for me and I wasn’t there when you needed me the most.”

“You didn’t know, Bellamy, and we hadn’t talked to each other in two years at that point.” Clarke turns towards him and grips his hand tighter. “But we’re here now.” She smiles. “It took me a few days to get all of the pictures together and another couple of days to get them in the right order, but in the end I felt better. Like me going through everything we had experienced together made it feel like you were there with me.”

Bellamy smiles then brings her hand up and kisses the back of it. “I love it.”

“I thought you might.” She smiles at him and it’s like the air between them has changed.

His heart is beating in his ears and her eyes are boring into his, and there’s nothing he can do to make himself look away. His eyes flick down to her lips and he remembers everything they’ve experienced together. After spending the night talking with her, he’s realized that she’s still the same person he knew all those years ago, except now she’s stronger, and wiser, and, despite the time they’ve spent apart, she still has a hold on his heart like nobody else. Clarke Griffin was a hurricane of blonde hair and blue eyes back then and it’s only intensified as she’s gotten older, and he loves it. When he was younger, he didn’t know what love was, though he knows he had been in love with Gina, but, now, looking at the stunning girl next to him, he realizes that he loves her. _But you always have, haven’t you_? A little voice in the back of his head echoes in his mind. When he looks back up at her eyes, hers move towards his lips for a quick second before looking back at him.

He leans forward, propelled by the liquid courage coursing in his veins, and presses his lips to hers. She’s momentarily stunned for a moment and it makes him wonder if it was the wrong choice, but before he can pull away she reaches up and threads her hands into his hair. He skirts his tongue along her bottom lip and she gasps, causing him to deepen the kiss. She tastes like whiskey, and he’s pretty sure he tastes the same, but kissing her is unlike kissing anybody else. Her lips are soft against his, and she practically melts into him. He never thought about what it would be like to kiss her, well, not much at least since he knew there was a very good possibility that he would never see her again and that it would just be torture to think about it, but this is better than he ever could’ve imagined.

When they pull apart, her pupils are blown and her lips are swollen, but he thinks she’s never looked more beautiful. She gives him a soft smile and reaches up to rub her thumb over his bottom lip. He leans into her touch, his eyes never leaving her face.

“Would it be weird for me to say that I’ve thought about this before?”

“No,” Bellamy smiles as he bites at her thumb, making her giggle. “I thought about it too.”

“But?”

“But I never thought that I would see you again.”

“Me either.” Clarke runs her finger from his lip to caressing the side of his face. “Do you—um, do you think if I hadn’t left that we would’ve, I don’t know—”

“Gotten together?”

“Yeah.” She breathes out the word and he smiles at the flush forming on her cheeks. _She’s adorable_.

“It’s hard to say,” Bellamy admits. “But, looking back on our life together, I think we might’ve had feelings for each other without even realizing it.” Clarke laughs and Bellamy wonders if he had said the wrong thing and now she’s laughing at him. Which is why he’s surprised when she moves to straddle him, her knees resting on either side of his legs. “What’s so funny, Princess?”

“Wells had said the same thing to me.” She bites at her lower lip as her fingers play in the curls at the nape of his neck. “I told him that he was just reading into things but as I looked back on it, I realized he had been right. Of course, there’s was nothing that I could’ve done about at that point since I had no idea where you were, but…” Clarke trails off and shrugs. “It didn’t keep me from wondering what it would’ve been like to have you as my first kiss.” She whispers the last part, like she’s embarrassed to admit it, but Bellamy finds it cute.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a crush on me.” Bellamy grins and Clarke rolls her eyes.

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself, Blake, you’re not the easiest to like.”

“Come on, Clarke,” Bellamy rubs circles on her waist with his thumbs and is rewarded when she shivers. “You know you loved me.” The words are out of his mouth before he can think about them. He’s worried that he pushed too far, said too much, but Clarke tilts her head to the side.

“Really? And how do you know that?”

“Because I loved you.” Bellamy’s voice is steady and his eyes don’t waver as he looks at her, but she sucks in a breath.

“Loved?” Her voice is soft as she continues playing with his hair. “As in the past tense?”

He holds her gaze, the words on the tip of his tongue. _It’s now or never._ “Not after tonight.”

She doesn’t say anything and he’s pretty sure his heart is going to beat out of his chest if she doesn’t say something soon, but she only smiles before leaning down and giving him another kiss. It’s slower than their first and he tries to pour all of his emotions and feelings into it as one of his hands leaves her waist and tangles itself in her hair. She’s warm against him, a contrast to the chilled air of the apartment, and he never wants to let her go.

“I love you too, Bellamy.” Clarke smiles when they pull apart and he feels like his heart is going to explode from how filled it is.

“I think I’ve loved you since we were kids,” Bellamy murmurs as he rests his forehead against hers. “But I didn’t know what love was then.”

“I think we knew that we loved each other,” Clarke offers, “but you’re right, we didn’t know what it meant. We knew that we were connected in some way, but we were too young to realize just what that way was exactly.”

“Good thing we know now.”

“Yeah,” Clarke smiles. “I’m glad you came tonight.”

“Me too.” Bellamy leans in and kisses her again.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this made you happy as you read it because it made me happy as I wrote it! :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
x
> 
> P.S. if you want something else that’s super fluffy then I suggest checking out my series “We found love in an airport” :)
> 
> You can find me on...  
Tumblr: xxawalkinwonderlandxx  
Twitter: awalknwonderlnd


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